The American retreat from Afghanistan has once more
proved that only the knave would underestimate Afghan people’s history of
resistance against foreign aggressors. British tried three times, all ended
into defeat. British aggressors after each failure abused Afghans as ‘villaneous
lot’, ‘fanatics’, ‘fiends in human form’ and what not. Without such abuses it’s
difficult for a so-called ‘civilised’ people to swallow defeat in the hands of
the people of a backward people divided into a number of different tribes.
But those were old stories. More recent are the Russian
superpower facing humiliating defeat. By that time Russians lost their
superpower status.
The US imperialists stepped in through their proxies. But
some of the forces whom they armed to the teeth went out of control. Of them
two were important - Taliban and Al-Qaida. Starting as a fringe force of
madrassa students (Talibs) the Talibans spread all over Afghanistan within a
short time.
Russians left in 1989. The USA felt no one was there to
stop them. But by 1996 they had to retreat. Talibans took the seat of power.
Only to be thrown out of power by 2001 by massive bombing by the USA. The USA
and its proxies had been facing a jigsaw war the day they took over
power.
There are a few important questions to be answered.
1.
Why is Afghanistan so important to the world? From the
time of British rule in India this territory has been the gateway to the Middle
East. Bordering with Pakistan, India, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Iran
it is of immense geo-strategic as well as geo-political importance. Specially
when Middle East has turned to a hot spot.
2.
Are the situations when Soviet forces entered
Afghanistan, then had to retreat, the US intervention after 1989, US occupation
through proxies from 2001, and present US retreat in 2021 same? Can it
be so simplistically put that the USA needed four Presidents, nearly 2.6
trillions of dollars and thousands of US Army killed to replace Talibans with
Talibans? No. When the then Soviet forces it was a superpower with an
aggressive geo-strategic aim. When they left it was in deep economic and crisis
only to collapse within two years. In 1989 the US stepped in but the Afghan
nationalistic forces who Am the USA itself armed were in high spirit. Moreover
they had overextended to Iraq. But in 2021 the US was in a position when they
could dictate terms to the world. They said a Global War on Terror, immediately
its NATO allies, Russia, China echoed ‘...War on Terror’. The USA cried “War
between Two Civilisations” except the Islamic countries world nodded. Such was
the position the USA held then. But now in2021 the USA is facing grave
challenge from China and Russia, NATO allies are no more so trusted
followers as in the past. So US presidents - both Trump and Biden - felt it
wiser not to carry on adventures, specially crossing the South China Sea.
3.
Is the Taliban of 2001 is being replace by the same
Taliban? Here too the situation is different. The Taliban which wrested power
in Kabul was a politically knave lot, only strength being youth taking arms in
the name of Islam. Moreover they had to face armed oppositions backed by the
then USA who had been on killing spree. Their rule was on the one hand attempt
to unite other forces. But what they carried on in the name of Islam was
complete mayhem. Killing any adversary, flogging for nothing, keeping women
under hour arrest by not allowing them to go to school or office or moving in
public places. Now the US, albeit for the time being is not in a position to
arming the adversaries inside the country in the form of Northern Alliance who
are present only in a corner. Just after overrunning Kabul they
a) Appealed to all
their neighbours as well as Russia, USA and others to maintain friendly
relationship;
b) Working hard to
build an alliance with other forces to install a coalition government;
c) Have announced
blanket amnesty to all officials who worked for the imperialists and their
cohorts in Afghanistan and asked them to return to their respective offices under
the new government;
d) Have asked the
army men who were fighting for the erstwhile government to return and join the
army under the new government without any fear of retaliation;
e) Have assured
women to return to their schools and offices and to move freely;
f) Have even
assured sportspersons including cricketers that earlier also their
government helped sports, cricket and football to develop, this time the policy
would be to develop sports.
Now they have started propagating the assurances of Talibans are only tactical. Some are calling it to be deceptive. Whether the moves of Taliban are deceptive or tactical, the people of the world are willing to “give peace a chance”. Even if it be tactical move let us welcome it since strategy of the people is to support the forces against imperialism. Rather let us oppose the tactics of the imperialists to kill the people of Afghanistan by disallowing their rightful assistance of 450 billion SDR from the IMF.
Welcome the defeat of the US imperialists in Afghanistan. Long live the struggle of the people of Afghanistan. Be cautious of Taliban rule and their also reactionary ideology. So Afghan people equip to reaction rule of Taliban people for real democracy.
With Revolutionary Greetings
Viswam
General Secretary,
Central Committee, CPI (ML)
22-08-2021
